For eight seasons, the leader of “Below Deck Mediterranean” has had many adventures at sea, and now, Capt. Sandy Yawn will be giving Bravo fans a glimpse at a big moment from her personal life on land. The trailer for Season Nine of the series shows Yawn proposing to her girlfriend and now-wife, Leah Shafer, who visits Yawn and her crew during their time in Athens, Greece, where the upcoming season takes place.
“I love you so much,” Yawn tells Shafer. She moves to get down on one knee in front of Shafer and says, “Will you ..
.” as her team members, including returning star Aesha Scott as the chief stew, excitedly watch the proposal nearby. Yawn shared photos from the proposal to her Instagram page in September 2023 after Shafer “said YESSSSS.
” In an interview with TODAY.com, Yawn explains that she hopes showing her relationship with Shafer on TV serves as a positive example of representation for the LGBTQ+ community and provides visibility. “That’s exactly why, because I think it’s important that people see that professional women can — same-sex, right — have a great life, and these preconceived ideas really are not accurate.
We wanted to show that — I did. Not really Leah — like, that wasn’t a thing for her — but for me it was, I think because I’m on TV,” she explains. The two first connected in 2018 when Shafer messaged Yawn online after watching her on “Med.
” Yawn once explained on the couple’s podcast in 2022 that the words “m.